EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES

An epidemiological study usually involves two important steps that must be put into consideration prior to the investigation of disease/infection outbreak. The first step in any epidemiological study is to define the hypothesis to be tested. The hypothesis must take into consideration the description of the exposure and possible outcome of the disease. The second […]

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Epidemiology, ,

MICROBIOTA OF DENTAL DISEASES: Dental Plaque, Dental Caries, Gingivitis, Periodontitis

The microbiota of dental diseases describes the microorganisms (inclusive of normal flora of the oral cavity and other pathogenic microorganisms) that cause several pathological conditions in the oral cavity – especially as it pertains to the teeth and its associated vessels or structures. The diseases of the teeth include dental plaque, periodontitis, dental caries or

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Microbiology of Oral Infection, , , , , ,

PREPARATION OF BACTERIAL SMEAR & HEAT FIXING

Bacterial smear is defined as a dehydrated or dried preparation of a bacterial suspension (cells) on a clean glass slide. The source of bacteria for the preparation or making of a smear can be from an agar slant, broth (liquid) culture and from a culture plate. A smear is simply a bacterial preparation made on

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Medical Microbiology, Microbe Lab, Techniques in Microbiology Lab, , , ,

FUNGAL MORPHOLOGY

Fungi unlike other groups of microorganisms possess or have unique structures which distinguish them from other microbial cells. Morphologically, fungi exist in any of the following structural forms: MYCELIUM (PLURAL: MYCELIA) Mycelium is the long branching structures of fungal hyphae (Figure 1). Mycelia are specialized structures used by fungal cells to absorb nutrients from their

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Mycology, , , ,

PARTS OF A CELL AND THEIR FUNCTIONS

The cells of all living organisms share several structural characteristics together. Some of the many structural components of a cell (which co-ordinates the cells activities and their functions) are as follows: NUCLEUS Nucleus is the control center of the eukaryotic cell that contains deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA is the genetic material of the cell which

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Microbial Physiology & Metabolism, , , , , ,

MICROORGANISMS USED FOR BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES

Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms including plants, animals and microorganisms are used for biotechnological manipulations. Whole animals and plants are manipulated through genetic engineering to produce transgenic animals and plants respectively. In addition, bacteria and other eukaryotic cells have been genetically manipulated to produce non-microbial products such as human growth hormones, insulin, interferon, mammalian proteins

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Biotechnology, Industrial Microbiology, , ,

MICROBIOTA (NORMAL MICROFLORA) OF LIVING ORGANISMS

Microbiota which can also be called normal microflora is the totality of microorganisms that are inherently present in a particular environment, body or location at every specific point of time. Mycoflora are fungal organisms that live in particular sites of the body without causing infection or disease. Microbiota goes into competition with pathogens on and

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Bacteriology, Medical Microbiology, , , , ,

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES TO OBSERVE WHILE WORKING IN THE MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY

REFERENCES Atlas R.M (2010). Handbook of Microbiological Media. Fourth edition. American Society of Microbiology Press, USA. Balows A, Hausler W, Herrmann K.L, Isenberg H.D and Shadomy H.J (1991). Manual of clinical microbiology. 5th ed. American Society of Microbiology Press, USA. Beers M.H., Porter R.S., Jones T.V., Kaplan J.L and Berkwits M (2006). The Merck Manual

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Microbe Lab, Safety tips in Microbiology Lab, Techniques in Microbiology Lab, , ,

SCOPE OF MICROBIOLOGY

The field of Microbiology has tremendous possibilities and a very bright future, and intending or prospective students who are seeking or pursuing their career as prospective microbiologist has golden opportunities that await them upon graduation due to their invaluable relevance in virtually all works of life. There are many areas of specialization in microbiology as

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General Microbiology, ,